Firewalker
by DeathsRedMinstrel
Summary: Not every crazy person is really crazy, and sometimes not every challenge can be solved by that worlds materials. It’s then that the gods get involved. Selenay thought she know how her life would play out. She’s just found out she was wrong.
1. Chapter 1

**Rating: T**

**Warnings: This is a "People from earth come to Velgarth" story. Don't like, don't read. Also, non explicit slash**

**Summary: Not every crazy person is really crazy, and sometimes not every challenge can be solved by that worlds materials. It's then that the gods get involved. Selenay thought she know how her life would play out. She's just found out she was wrong.**

**Pairings: No Canons really. So all pairings are OCxOC**

**Notes: This is just about how Selenay gets to Velgarth. So don't get antsy about not seeing familiar surroundings in this chap. Although those with sharp eyes might see a familiar face before their name is announced.**

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A sudden breath broke the quiet of the house at just after midnight on the summer solstice.

Amber eyes flecked thickly with mossy green stared blankly into the darkness of the room as Selenay Delasangre awoke. She couldn't say for sure what it was that had called her to consciousness. Dreamily, without thinking about it, she uncurled her legs and threw off her covers, turning to slide off her bed. Picking a lighter up from her bedside table she stood up.

Dressed in a loose camisole and a pair of tight- fitting grey shorts Selenay's lean form was on display, from lean shapely legs to her slender hips to the fire red hair that fell to mid- back. Her eyes were slightly glazed as she slipped out of her room into the dimly lit hall outside.

Avoiding creaky boards with practice she ghosted down the stairs and around the house to the back door. Unlocking it with quick and skilled fingers she slipped, barefoot, out into the shadows of the night.

Her bangs fell slightly over her eyes as she walked quietly along a narrow path deep into the woods. Finding a clearing she gathered kindling from the trees that surrounded the small natural glen. Arranging the some of the small sticks into a pyramid with the careful skill of long practice, she found some dead grass for tinder, and nudged it in between two of the twigs. She set the rest of the kindling aside. Clicking the lighter, she watched in fascination as the flame lit over the black casing. Blinking she turned her attention to the small pyramid of sticks and lit a bit of the dead grass that would light quickly and set the whole pyramid aflame.

The grass caught instantly and the pyramid glowed as it burned exactly as she had imagined it would. Greenish eyes glowed with the flames reflected in their surfaces. A kind of exaltation leapt in Selenay's heart at the sight of those flames. This was _her_ flame, brought to life by_ her_. But it was not like it usually was. Suddenly it faded and Selenay frowned at the fire. This was not what she should do, she knew without knowing how she knew. She was meant to do something much greater.

Turning her back on the flames, she created another pyramid, but this time didn't waste any dried grass for tinder. Instead she simply placed her right index finger on the tip of the carefully constructed pyramid and murmured forcefully, "_Burn_."

The pyramid instantly burst into glittering red and gold flames, bending around Selenay's hand until she removed it from where it had been in the path of the flames. It burned nearly without smoke, almost too hot for anything of that sort to rise. It was this fire that captivated Selenay's attention until she heard a slow clapping behind her. She stood up and whirled to face the noisemaker, turning her back on the flames. He was a lean, saturnine man, with lion gold hair and reddish gold eyes. His face was deeply lined, and tanned to a leathery deep brown. He smiled at her and said, "Congratulations child. You have found what you were to do."

Selenay found herself unable to do more than stare at him. She felt no surprise at what she had just done; it felt perfectly natural to her. It was the man who held her silent. She felt he was incredibly important, but she didn't know how. He smiled at her, his lined face looking more approachable in the more cheerful expression.

"Very good little one. Remember how you did it though, or this lesson is pointless." He said, his voice kind, with a lilting accent that reminded her of the time she had spent in Ireland when she was younger.

Nodding dreamily she stood up, not bothering to brush herself off. The man looked her over, and while she normally would have blushed at such an inspection she found herself worried about being found wanting, rather than irritated.

His smile broadened, but did so kindly, and a bit sadly. When he spoke again it was quietly, seriously.

"You won't be accepted here you know flame- child. They won't let anyone with your gifts run free." He looked saddened as he said this, and Selenay scowled, still disinclined to say a word. There was more to what he was saying than just that. When he seemed like he wouldn't continue she raised an inquisitive eyebrow to prompt him forward.

The man laughed softly. "Clever girl. Yes. I can give you passage to another world. A world that will not only accept your gifts, but cherish you for them. It will not be an easy life, but it will be one that is freer from persecution than your life here will be, should you choose to stay."

She cocked her head, turning the proposal over in her mind, examining it from all the angles she could think of. Finally she opened her mouth, speaking quietly. "What about Jack? Will he be able to follow me?"

The man sighed and ran a hand through his golden hair. "He will face his own choice flame- child. And if he accepts, then he will join you in that other world. If he does not then he won't."

Biting her lip Selenay nodded. She dropped unfocused eyes to her bare feet, still unsure. "What about where you're going to send me? What's that place like?" she asked, almost shyly.

The golden- eyed man smiled sadly at her as he replied. "I can't tell you that. You have to make your choice now. Stay here in the world you know, or go into another world, completely foreign to you?"

Chewing nervously on her lip now, Selenay gave her reply. "I'll go. I'll go to that other world." Her fingers were twitching nervously as well, unnoticed by her sides. She clenched and unclenched her hands, flicking out her fingers and curling them back again.

The man chuckled sadly. "I rather thought you would Selenay." He gave her name an odd pronunciation, SEL-en-ay, rather than the SEE-len-ay she was used to. "I give you passage, so I asked, so you willed, so let it be."

At his almost ritualistic words a pillar of white fire blazed up, surprising Selenay. The only sign however, was the slight tightening of her facial muscles and the way she swayed back from the snowy, heatless flames. Slowly the flames wove into an archway of white tendrils, so intricate you couldn't tell where one stopped and another began. The space within the archway slowly filled with silvery mist until it became a mirror-like wall in front of the teenager.

Selenay was standing stiffly before the eldritch gateway, now nervous and very unsure she had made the right choice. The lilting voice of the strange golden- eyed man came to her, as if from a distance. "Walk forward Selenay. Walk forward to your destiny."

She gasped, gripping onto the only lifeline to sanity she had left. Turning, she faced him once more. "Will I see you again?" she asked, scared.

A soft, gentle chuckle was her reply. "Of course flame- child. I am most interested in how your story plays out."

Greenish- amber eyes met bright red- gold and the tension slowly drained from Selenay's slim form. "And when I see you again, what do I call you?" she asked quietly, tired.

A smile curved the man's lips, creasing his face and smoothing its forbidding planes. "Call me Vykandis, flame- child. Now go! The gateway will fade soon!"

Shocked, Selenay followed the instructions numbly, turning and stepping through the quicksilver mirror set between woven white tendrils. As she disappeared at last, Vykandis sighed sadly, his smile fading and his features rearranging in a somber cast. He watched as a perfect facsimile of Selenay Delasangre's form shimmered into existence by the two fires the child had lit. It was arranged as if sleeping, and a slow rising and falling of the duplicates chest imitated breathing. A glare at the fires themselves and they burst into furious pyres, slowly blending into one enormous fires, spreading slowly at first, then more and more swiftly. They soon reached the duplicate of the flame- child, and consumed the facsimile swiftly, leaving behind little more than well charred bones.

Vykandis was surprised by how much it hurt to see even a copy of the child be consumed by flames. Perhaps it was simply too much like how Lava had died in his mortal incarnation so many human years ago.

It was certainly not that the infuriating child had gotten close to him over the few minutes they had been talking. He liked mortals yes, but they died.

He had _not_ gotten attached, he told himself firmly. He simply would be unhappy if he was deprived of the entertainment that this mortal would provide.

But he couldn't quite silence the soft, subtle voice in his heart that murmured quietly that this flame- child was different, and that she was _his_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Rating: T**

**Warnings: This is a "People from Earth come to Velgarth" story. Don't like, don't read. Also, non explicit slash and serious swearing later on. Selen's got a potty-mouth. XD**

**Summary: Not every crazy person is really crazy, and sometimes not every challenge can be solved by that worlds materials. It's then that the gods get involved. Selenay thought she know how her life would play out. She's just found out she was wrong.**

**Pairings: No Canons, so all pairings are OCxOC.**

**Notes: For the sake of clarification, this is set about 100 years after the Mage Storms Trilogy. Kris followed Selenay to the throne, with Lyra succeeding Talia. After Kris came his daughter, and it's that queens' son who is ruling now.**

Selenay had no idea what she was expecting as she closed her eyes and stepped through the mirror- like gateway. Perhaps to hear a booming voice pronouncing her fate? Whatever it was it was not this. There was nothing more than a freezing cold, nauseating distortion around her and then she stepped out onto cool grass.

Opening her eyes she was half- surprised to see that she was now standing in a grove of thick trees. It was the sky that stole her breath away. It vaulted above her, as dark as if it was made from black cloth, with tiny diamonds sewn into it for stars. For an instant she searched the sky for the big dipper, and was surprised when she couldn't find it as she had so many times before. Then she slapped herself mentally. Of _course_ the star formations were different. This _was _a different world after all. At least, so Vykandis had told her.

Padding dreamily through the trees Selenay mulled over what Vykandis had told her. The memories were faded, as though she had dreamed them up, or they belonged to another person. She didn't really mind.

Eventually she exited the grove. Her thoughts had slipped away like ephemeral butterflies and she found herself content to simply be, and let the world pass around her. Her mind felt like it was moving through molasses but she didn't find it disquieting as she normally might. It was a rather comforting sensation rather.

She relished the feeling. It had been a long time since she had let herself simply _be, _concerned only with herself, letting the world take care of itself for once. It was strange, to simply feel, letting each sensation be something new and wonderful.

Her feet found a meandering path, dictated by the contours of the land she walked in quiet, bare feet. The sensation of springy grass beneath her feet, slightly damp was one to be relished she found. It was unlikely to be a feeling she would have again for a long time. As she had once told Jay, "I don't look for trouble; I have enough to deal with when it finds me."

_:A worthy sentiment.:_

Selenay jumped, squeaking indignantly as she whirled to face the speaker. All that met her eyes was a snowy white horse with sapphire eyes.

What was curious was that there was no one else about…

Wait. Vykandis? A white horse with blue eyes? Something tickled in the back of her mind. There was something she knew related to those two. Vykandis… Fire, sun…

_Valdemar._

As her green- amber eyes widened in shock she heard the Companion, for she knew that was what it was now, chuckle in her mind.

_:Poor child. So new to this world and with such talent! But we will speak later little one. There are more important matters to attend to first.:_

The Companion left her, still standing there, bewildered. It just turned and cantered away, leaving a red- headed eighteen year old staring after it, eyes wide and jaw just a bit loose.

Another chuckle interrupted Selenay's astonishment. This one was lighter, more feminine than the previous Companions nearly sexless mind- speech.

_:Kyrith does like to make a scene doesn't he?:_

A tall, slim companion with a graceful build and elegant, elastic stride stepped out of the trees, fixing mischievous, deep sapphire eyes on the girl. Her mane fell in an elegant wave over a proudly arched neck and the mare's hoof beats were so light they could go unheard under Selenay's shocked, quick breathing.

As she reached the girl, who was once more clenching and unclenching her fists, the mare met greenish amber eyes with her own ultramarine ones. Coming to a perfect four- point halt before the redhead, the mare locked her gaze with this extraordinary human. _:I am Talina little sister. I Choose you, only you. And I will never leave you.:_

The girl blinked, shell shocked. She'd first been offered a choice between remaining on earth or leaving by the sun god of Karse, then spoken to by the Groveborn, the one of the first Groveborn none the less, and now she was Chosen? It was too much to deal with all at once. Why couldn't the infernal white horses have left her alone to her peace for at least a little while longer?

Talina chuckled again as Selenay started off on a savage rant about nosy busybodies in white horse suits who had to ruin everybody's day or they would never be happy.

_:We aren't quite that bad little sister. We only ruin our Chosen's day every week or so. Although Kyrith annoys his much more often.:_

"Oh well that's real comforting!" Selenay snapped back in irritation, still cranky. "So I got up at midnight so that a god could put me in a position where I have a horse talking in my head and ruin my day for her entertainment? Great!" Her caustic words only made Talina shake her head and snort at her, white mane falling over a reproachful sapphire eye. Her Chosen was working herself up into a hysterical rant, which would be massivly counterproductive for her acclimation to Velgarth.

_:I am most certainly _not_ a _horse_ Selenay. I don't appreciate the comparison to one.:_

Selenay blushed a bit at the scolding. "Sorry Tali. I just don't like having my life screwed with like this! It's happened enough already!" Still, she was calmer, no longer quite so worked up.

Talina could make no response to that, other than giving her Chosen a mental hug. What could she say? Selen _had_ been cut a raw deal by the Powers. Finally she just decided to make Selen get some sleep and hope she was in a better mood in the morning.

_:Rest little sister. It will seem brighter in the morning.:_

Selenay nodded, her weariness crashing down on her, a yawn bursting out, nearly cracking her jaw. She stumbled up the small ridge she was standing on the side of before she fell to the soft grass and curled up. Talina followed, dropping to her knees by her Chosen's side, curling up around the girl. For all of the presence she exuded awake, asleep Selenay shrunk into herself, her fiery personality overshadowing none of her thinness or her gaunt face.

_:She will need all of the support you can give her on top of her own fortitude over the next few months:_ Rolan observed calmly, reappearing out of the brush.

Talina nodded, eyes still fixed on her Chosen, taking in every feature and making mental a mental promise to make sure that her Chosen was taken care of. _:I know. And if anyone tries to make her life harder than it must be they will have me to answer to.:_

Kyrith snorted at his daughter. _:You cannot fight all of her battles for her youngling. You cannot catch her every time she falls.:_

Talinas dark sapphire eyes flashed as she glared at her father, nostrils flared in anger. _:I am no ignorant foal. I may be somewhat young to choose, but I know how to handle children. Do not presume to tell me how to handle my Chosen.:_

The stallion bowed his head to the angered mare, hoping to placate her. _:I mean no offence daughter. But, you do realize she will not appreciate coddling? She is much more like Elspeth than her namesake.:_

She snorted, the sound oddly similar to a sardonic laugh. _:I handled both Selenay and Elspeth once. I will manage with this one. I will numb her emotions somewhat for the first few days, so she can absoarb what she needs to, then I will let her face each day as it comes. She does not need constant emotional swings or reminders of what she has left behind interrupting her as she adjusts to Collegium life.:_

Kyrith nodded again. _:If you are sure my daughter,:_ He said, _:then I will leave you together. I will call Dark out a few hours after the waking bells.:_

Talina nodded, satisfied with how the conversation had turned out. Her father was usually reasonable once she reminded him she was no longer the foolish foal she had once been.

Dropping her head, ignoring her father as he left she nuzzled Selenay's thick, flame- red hair, breathing in the wood smoke and lavender scent that her soap and fires had left on her skin. An amber slit of an eye half opened and Talina murmured to her Chosen softly, _:Sleep little one. Morning will come far too soon.:_

The eye closed once more and a slurred whisper replied to her words. "Though' th're was 'rguing…" Talina nuzzled the girl's temple.

_:Not anymore Selenay. Sleep.: _And now the redheads breathing evened out and deepened, showing her to finally be asleep.

As Talina watched the sky slowly lighten towards dawn and her Chosen's first trial she dozed occasionally, letting fragments of her Chosen's dreams flicker across the undersides of her eyelids. They were memories mostly, just images that flashed and were gone

A smiling pair of boys with brown hair and their arms around each other flashed by, followed by an image of a black haired girl with stunning sapphire eyes singing. Fragments of song and conversation flashed by. There was laughter. Lots of it, which reassured Talina. Her Chosen had evidently not been too scarred by her ordeals if she had still been able to laugh.

But as the sun rose to peek over the horizon the dreams turned dark. Screams, wild eyes, pain. Fear, denial. These dreams were more emotional, and much darker, and Talina hastily returned her attention to her Chosen, who had started writhing, fear and fury flashing across her face in equal measure.

Reaching along their bond, already strong, despite its newness, Talina stretched her mind out to Selenay, trying to touch the complicated teenager's mind and heart. For an instant Talina felt fear grip her heart in icy fingers. Selenay seemed to be gone, grasped too tightly by the nightmare. Then one last fragment of dream/memory sound flashed across her mind.

_:IT WASN'T ME!:_

Then Talina caught her in a mental embrace. The dream faded as tears made silent tracks down her twisted face. Talina murmured mentally to her Chosen. _:Hush little one. I am here. No one will ever hurt you again while I still draw breath. It will be all right I promise…:_

She continued the litany, simultaneously comforting both Selenay and herself. How could one child have been hurt so much? That mental scream had contained so much anger, so much helpless rage, and so much pain and guilt that it was nearly choking.

_:Daughter…:_ That was Kyrith, she knew.

_:She's been hurt so much father. I will not allow her to be hurt again. Not now.:_

The Groveborn sent assent and understanding back. _: Guard your Chosen well. Most of the Heraldic Circle probably felt that. They will be coming out to question her soon.:_

Talina snarled mentally, her instinct to protect her Chosen rising. How could she protect her Chosen from further mental hurt if every Herald in Haven was coming out to interrogate her.

_Use yourself as a shield of course._

That reply was just her, albeit spoken in the dry tones of her father at his most sarcastic, but she saw the sense. Nuzzling her Chosen once more she stood up carefully and shook herself. This was not going to be pleasant.

~*~

_:IT WASN'T ME!:_

The words screamed across shields like nails on a blackboard, waking nearly every Herald with an active Mindspeech Gift. Dark Ayres, the King's Own found bolted upwards at the mental scream. The pain and fury and implacable guilt tore at his shields like claws, then was gone.

_:Kyrith!:_ He stretched out instinctively towards his Companion as he stepped out of bed and began to change. At first he was worried when he got no response, then a response came back, tired and shaky, but unmistakably his mischievous companion.

_:Here Chosen. I wasn't expecting that much power.:_

Dark let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding in a single explosive sigh as he stood and quickly pulled on the first Whites that came to hand. They were the simple, dirty and worn one he had worn to practice with Rex in the other day, but they would do for now.

As soon as he had shoved his feet into boots he was out of his door, pounding along the halls as doors opened and heads peeked out of the rooms he passed. Right now his duties were to his King and to find out the source of the anguished mindcall. Rin would surely want to know that as soon as he could find out.

Swinging agilely about corners and leaping down stairways Dark found himself on the ground floor and out of the building seemingly only moments after he had woken up. Kyrith was waiting and he swung up on the stallion with trained grace. It wouldn't take long for Kyrith to get him to wherever the mindcall had originated. Despite his powerful, almost blocky, build the stallion was quicker than most companions.

_:It isn't as far as you might think. It's a dreamer's memory that sent out that mindcall. It's barely dawn if you would recall:_ Kyrith interrupted Dark's thoughts caustically. Dark blushed faintly, his pale face turning red.

Kyrith cantered easily towards the Companions Field, surprising Dark. The stallion refused to answer his sudden questions, but he wove among the trees towards the Grove with complete confidence, before finally halting gracefully by a screen of trees. He cocked his head and mindspoke seriously to his Chosen.

_:Talina chose your mindspeaker, but the girl is fragile. Don't push her too much. Right now she's asleep, but Talina can answer some questions.:_

Dark inclined his head slightly, and at his unspoken agreement Kyrith stepped forward, through the trees. The sight that met their eyes was almost like a painting.

Talina practically glowed white in the light of the rising sun, her coat bright and shimmering. The low angle of the sun cast deep shadows and bright light, creating a tableau full of contrast. The shining, spirit- like Companion stood four- square before a sleeping figure. The girl was hidden mostly in shadow, her features obscured, but a single errant sunbeam caught her hair and turned it to flames and gold.

"Companion Talina." Dark greeted the companion, his words stiff and formal as he dismounted.

_:Kings Own Herald Dark, I've been waiting for you. You have questions for my Chosen?:_

He inclined his head slightly, an errant black lock falling over his face. "Indeed. Kyrith warned me that she was asleep, but said you could answer some questions."

The mare snorted, tossing her head._ :I can answer some,:_ she replied, _:but some things I do not know and some secrets are not mine to tell.:_

"I can understand that. What caused the mind- scream?" He asked, curious. "I'm certain more than half the Heralds in the Collegium heard it."

Talina looked back at her Chosen for an instant, and then replied. _:I am not entirely sure. She was dreaming and a memory disturbed her.:_

Dark frowned. From the strength of the emotions that the mindcall had carried the memory must be truly terrible, or at least have deeply negative connotations for the girl. "Who is she?" He asked, obviously referring to the girl still sleeping in the grass.

_:Her name is Selenay, and even I am not sure of all that she is. I can tell you she's short tempered though.:_

A small smile curved the Kings Own's lips at the dry tone the Companion employed. It was similar to Kyrith's tone when he had overlooked something particularly obvious or done something unforgivably stupid. The relationship between the mare and stallion was obvious to those who had been on the receiving end of both of their tongues. They talked quite similarly.

"Where is she from?" he asked, returning his mind to the issue at hand.

Talina looked uneasy for an instant. _:That… is something I may not be the best person to answer.: _She said, shifting her weight from side to side. _:The answer is not going to be one you're expecting though. Still, she's from outKingdom, but I've implanted the language into her mind, so she'll be able to understand us when she wakes up.:_

Dark frowned. "You can do that?" he asked, surprised.

_:Obviously, seeing as I just did so.:_ Talina replied, the words so dry they should have caught fire.

The man blushed once more, but continued his questions. "Do you know how much she's going to need to be taught?" he asked, mind already working away.

Talina began to answer but was interrupted by a rough voice replying, "She is going to need to be taught some things and not others. Now, who the hells are _you_?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Rating: T**

**Warnings: This is a "People from Earth come to Velgarth" story. Don't like, don't read. Also, non explicit slash and serious swearing later on. Selen's got a potty-mouth. XD**

**Summary: Not every crazy person is really crazy, and sometimes not every challenge can be solved by that worlds materials. It's then that the gods get involved. Selenay thought she know how her life would play out. She's just found out she was wrong.**

**Pairings: No Canons, so all pairings are OCxOC.**

**Notes: Thank you to all the reviewers, and everyone who favorited or alerted this story!**

**Formatting Notes: English is written in italics between quotes, mindspeech in italics between colons and regular speech looks normal.**

**Last time:**

_The man blushed once more, but continued his questions. "Do you know how much she's going to need to be taught?" he asked, mind already working away._

_Talina began to answer but was interrupted by a rough voice replying, "She is going to need to be taught some things and not others. Now, who the hells are you?"_

~*~

Dark stared as the girl who had been sleeping uncurled from, red hair falling around her face as she shook her head and sat up. Now that she was more in the light, he could see her clothing was rather scanty; a black shirt that did not cover her shoulders and clung to her body and a pair of grey pants that were cut off at about mid thigh.

Tearing his eyes from her, Dark gave a half- bow, introducing himself. "I am Kings Own Herald-Mage Dark Ayres. May I request your name?"

He didn't need to ask her strictly speaking, but it was polite, and if she was OutKingdom she might not grasp the Heraldic Gifts like mindspeech. Besides, he wanted to see her reaction to his conduct.

A smirk flitted across her face as she stood gracefully, brushing herself off. "Slick. Tali already told you my name. Try again. And it's rather rude to speak to people while on the back of your Companion."

Dark blinked, slightly confused by how she spoke. "I stand corrected milady Selenay. I apologize for the informality and the rudeness," he said hurriedly, seeing a faint strand of anger cross her face, "But all Talina gave me was your first name." He watched her closely, wondering what reaction his words would have.

The girl- no she was really a young woman- smiled slightly. "I am Selenay DelaSangre." She said, the words seemingly calm and cool, but they had undertones of arch humor and a bit of a sarcastic bite. She sounded like one of the older women at court who found the younger generation amusing, if occasionally quite stupid.

The Kings Own smiled slightly. It seemed like she _was opening up, at least a little._

"Well then Lady Delasangre," He said, giving her the title as a sign of ironic respect, "would you grant me the honor of accompanying you to the Collegium to meet with the Dean of the Heralds?"

He dismounted quickly and offered his arm as she stepped down from the slope she'd been standing on, moving with a catlike grace that Dark envied. She took his arm and flashed him a self-deprecating smile. "I will."

Dark felt his lips stretch into a matching half-smile. He could get to like this strange, accepting, sarcastic young woman. He said as much, and was rewarded with her throwing back her head and laughing, before saying something in a sharp-edged language he didn't know.

"_Louis, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."_

~*~

_About two hours later, approximately 6:00 am:_

Selenay sighed as she leaned back on her bed. It had been a bit odd to find herself going through what she had read about, but she had simply let herself go with the flow. Dark had handed her off to the Dean, a diminutive red- haired woman with piercing grey eyes.

The Dean had made her jump through hoops, asking her question after question and then handed her off to a Trainee named Nadya, who had taken her to get her uniforms, and helped her get settled into her new room, all the while chattering away at her

The slightly older trainee had been nice, but it was still more comfortable for her in the silence of her new room. Leaning back on the pillows of her bed, she stared at the ceiling, hazel eyes glazing over as she thought over the past few hours.

She'd been surprised at how easily Dark made her laugh, with his cool manners and courtly demeanor. He was also, in an interesting balance, quite blunt and honest. It spoke well for the king, this Rin, that his Kings Own was Dark. Still, this was a strange world, and the ingrained wariness that she'd picked up through her stays in mental hospitals made her chary of making friends. Traitors were altogether too common in the friendships she had experienced. No matter how much that something within her told her she could trust these people, her head was analytically sure that there was something that she was missing if she felt that.

_:Chosen, they are Heralds, just like you will be. They won't hurt you.:_

Selenay sighed. Talina might be right but- _:I've been hurt plenty of times by people who shouldn't. Even by those who want to help.:_

There was a mental sigh from the Companion, but also a sense of acquiescence. Talina was willing to stop pushing the issue, for which Selenay was grateful. According to Nadya, she would be in Orientation, taught by Herald Tara, but the class had not yet started, and they'd hold it back another day so she could catch up.

Speaking of classes, the Dean's eyes had lit up in a way that was vaguely unnerving when she had mentioned her martial arts training. Sighing, Selenay resigned herself to the fact she was probably going to be splitting her time for the first week or so between orientation and the salle.

Throwing an arm over her eyes in exasperation, she began to run through all the reasons that agreeing to go through the portal Vykandis had constructed had been an utterly idiotic thing to do.

Midway through the list, after saying that her new occupation was hardly compatible with her longtime life goal of keeping her skin reasonably intact she fell asleep.

~*~

_That afternoon, around 12:30:_

Selenay woke with a start to a soft knock on her door. For a moment she was confused- why would any of her housemates be knocking? All of them preferred to just walk in. Then she remembered, the fires, Vykandis and then Talina.

Right on cue, the mare's voice intruded into her thoughts. _:If you want to eat lunch, you might want to get to the door. Nadya's there and she'll leave if you don't get your lazy ass out of bed.:_

A soft growl was the only answer as Selenay stood up and stalked over to the door, wincing slightly as the floor creaked under her feet. Opening the door she looked at Nadya. Seeing the chatterbox opening her mouth, Selenay raised a hand to forestall any explanations. "I'm awake, yes I want food and I need ten minutes to get dressed." Closing the door once more, she returned to her bed and pulled out one of the uniforms she had been given. For once thankful for Vivian's insistence on going to RenFaires, Selenay managed to dress herself in the silver-grey of the Trainee uniform well within the ten minutes she'd set herself.

Pulling back her hair, the redhead tied up her ponytail with a small, supple band of leather she wore around her wrist, and returned to the door. Opening it all of the way, the slim eighteen year old slipped out into the corridor, smirking at the slightly dumbfounded look on Nadyas face. Snapping her fingers in front of the other Trainee's face, Selenay grinned, urchin-like as the brunette blinked and returned to earth.

Still grinning, Selenay said, "I'm hungry. Now lead on O Guide of Newbies. I really don't think you'd enjoy being on the receiving end of one of my starved rants. I'm told that they're quite disturbing." The other trainee blinked again and proceeded to lead Selenay down to the food, still not quite sure what to make of her.

Once they reached their destination however, and Nadya had seated them with her friends, she seemed to recover her ability to speak.

"How'd you know what I was about to ask? How'd you know it was me? Do you have Mindspeech? Do you know what gifts you have? Where are you from? What's with you're accent? Were you a noble? What does your second name mean? What did--"

At that point Selenay had realized that the energetic young woman was not going to shut up any time soon, and used a remedy that had quickly fixed her friend Vivian's chatterbox problem. She slapped the back of Nadya's head. Not with a large amount of force, but sharply enough to shock the brunette into silence.

One of the girls they were sitting with, who had black hair and a pair of strikingly golden eyes smirked at Selenay's solution to the chatter, and Selenay noticed before looking directly at Nadya once more. Raising an eyebrow, Selenay responded coolly, "Talina told me, Talina told me, maybe, sort of, Aspen Colorado in America, I traveled a lot, no, 'of the blood' meaning of royal blood." And she said it all in one breath.

Nadya blinked, and was about to ask more questions when Selenay cut across with a question of her own. "Could I trouble you to tell me exactly who it is we are sitting with? I like to know the names of those I spend meals with."

Nadya had the grace to blush, especially when the golden eyed girl giggled. "Sorry. I sometimes let my mouth run away from me when I meet new people." Selenay grinned, showing she took no offence and said teasingly, "I could help break you of that habit. It shouldn't take more than a few weeks if you only run your mouth when you meet new people."

"Impossible!" declared a young man with snow- white hair, sitting across the table. "We've tried every method we could think of to shut yon chatter box up. None have worked."

"Well you obviously haven't tried head slapping her then!" Selenay shot back, amused.

Nadya glared impatiently at the white-haired man, likely a Tayledras, and he shut up, grinning. Turning to Selenay, the brunette explained, "That idiot is Moonfeather k'Vala. He's a Herald-Mage trainee but we all know that at heart he's a bard. His Companion is Enia." Pointing to a white-haired woman seated next to Moonfeather, with short-cropped hair and piercing blue eyes she said, "That's his sister Hawkfrost, who's also a Herald-Mage trainee, and her Companion is Eria. She's smart and all, but" here her voice fell to a whisper, "she's only fun on the rare occasions she pulls that stick out of her ass." The irrepressible teenager grinned at Selenay's muffled giggles and Hawkfrost's glare, and continued introductions with the petite girl with golden eyes. "That's Hai, our snarky and lovable Herald-Trainee, whose Companion is Nicolas. Now introduce yourself to all of these crazies." She ordered, to Hai's obvious amusement.

Selenay sighed theatrically and leaned back from the table for a moment before deciding to shock them. "Selenay Delasangre, Herald Trainee, Chosen of Talina. Convicted of attempted murder, released on the condition of mental treatment, disturber of the peace, pyromaniac, Firestarter and all-around hell raiser."

**____________________**

**There it is, another chapter after what, six months? Sorry about that, I lost the flash drive this was on for a LONG time. Anyway, sorry it's short, but this way I have a cliffhanger to get me writing again.**

**To clear up any problems, there are two Tayledras Herald-Trainees now. Yes, you knew it was going to happen.**

**The Groveborn is Kyrith, in case I missed any changes in Chapter 2.**

**Selenay is a Firestarter with Mindspeech and Thoughtsensing, both of which are dormant, while her Firestarting has been active for several years, erupting at odd moments. Her moment in Ch. 1 is her first concentrated, intentional use of it.**

**Vivian will be explained later on.**

**Is that it? Any and all reviews are appreciated, and I will attempt to address all questions/comments/concerns as long as you leave me an email address to respond to.**


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